I've been accused of wearing rose-colored glasses.......but:
I've had two chainsaws. The first, a Tuf brand from Global for 3000 Baht. That lasted 4 years. The second, I bought last May from Homehub for just under 3000 Baht. We have 2.5 rai with an abundance of mature trees.....so the chainsaw gets a workout.
You can buy a Hitachi for about 8000 baht......but comparing the cheap and the Hitachi, I honestly don't see much difference.

I understand you are also limited in the size of the Blade Homepro / Global units are smallish , any large units, u need to show your ID etc and I believe a licence to hold it, ( about reducing forestry poaching etc )

The heart says STIHL as I used them for years back home on the Apple Isle, but I now believe A 12inch bar is the biggest they allow here,
Plus its a one off job as the tornado bought down a very large tree on friday night,(by large I mean 5 feet through the butt)

I agree with fatbobs sentiments ,but at 78 A Stihl will well and truly outlast me.
Will see BiB tomorrow re a permit and work from there.

parrot wrote:I've been accused of wearing rose-colored glasses.......but:
I've had two chainsaws. The first, a Tuf brand from Global for 3000 Baht. That lasted 4 years. The second, I bought last May from Homehub for just under 3000 Baht. We have 2.5 rai with an abundance of mature trees.....so the chainsaw gets a workout.
You can buy a Hitachi for about 8000 baht......but comparing the cheap and the Hitachi, I honestly don't see much difference.

Between me and the brother inlaw ,we've had these the hitachi the blade lub goe's knackered , the Tuf i've still got albeit a new piston etc , still running & blade oil works fine ,

Well,that was interesting,BiB told us permit only required for bar length 12 inches and over
Shop says all ok as bars are now 11.5 inches and do not fall under regulations,the saw we looked at is 0.8 hp but he would remove the air restrictor on carb which allows 2.0 hp and then fit a 20 inch bar and chain for an extra 1800 baht.

I have found shops that will sell longer Stihl chain saw blades, chain bar oil, and more powerful chain saws when I did a good images search with Isaan in the search request. Husqvarna, Makita, Stihl all sell quality chain saws in Thailand and a motivated local shop will order what you need or might have it stocked in a locked room.

A couple of tips from my chain sawing experience. Get a few files and keep them stored in drinking straws to keep them from rolling together and getting dull. The second your saw stops making good progress on your cut STOP and touch up the blade with a hand file (YouTube it). If not you will heat the blade up it will loose its temper and will turn into trash. The second tip and the hardest one for me to actually do is when you finish a long cut let your saw idle for a minute before shutting off. The reason for letting it idle is that it need to absorb some heat from critical areas and cool off, this will extend the life of your saw dramatically. Stihl saws are the best but I have a Husky and its perfectly ok for me. I took the anti kick back safety devise out as it was a pain in the butt designed by lawyers and stupid. Use both hands at all times and stay mentally engaged. lol

I'm not sure about Stihl chain saws. Back in the USA they are a premium brand but those marketed in Thailand do not seem to be the same. We had a crew here who cut Eucalyptus trees for a living. They were in this area for several years. None of them would buy another Stihl. Apparently they simply do not hold up. Poulan seems to be the first choice with the Husqvarna a close second. Since these guys make a living cutting trees, I think they would know.